One by one, you’ve seen some of the bigger figures in the NBA world address what’s happened in Minnesota. Alex Pretti’s death has caused protests and outrage over the last few days. He was fatally shot by a federal agent on Saturday, Jan. 24.
Chet Holmgren was the latest NBA player to give his thoughts. The Oklahoma City Thunder will travel to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, Jan. 29. Of course, the 23-year-old is proud of his Minneapolis roots.
“That’s a very loaded topic, obviously. I don’t want to get into the opinion and politics of everything. I definitely just want to send wishes to everybody up there who’s been affected,” Holmgren said. “I have a lot of friends, family, neighbors, especially close in that area.”
Holmgren later revealed that Pretti’s death happened within the vicinity of some of his favorite childhood spots. He listed out some of his family members’ frequent places they visit.
“My parents’ house is three blocks from where the latest incident happened. I know that area well,” Holmgren said. “My sisters would always get donuts at the donut shop on that street. My grandma’s favorite Greek restaurant is on that street. It’s all very close. Seeing that happen definitely takes you back. You never want to see anything like that happen.”
Along with Renee Good’s killing at the hands of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on Jan. 7, Minnesota has made global headlines in recent weeks. Holmgren’s heart goes out to what happened in both cases and believes they’re senseless acts of violence.
“I definitely think we’re too advanced as a species, just plain and simple, for things like that to be happening. No matter what your opinions are or what your beliefs are, you should be able to agree that nobody needs to be dying on the street,” Holmgren said. “I wasn’t there. I don’t have a full picture of everything going on. I can’t really speak on the details and what happened and what transpired. I just feel for the families of anybody who’s lost their life up there. I’m wishing safety for everybody.”
